Quote Originally Posted by mimitabby View Post
So what are the advantages to these over a backpack that sits in the middle of your back?
I just gave up my backpack for a messenger bag on my daily commute. TE seems to not have the one I got anymore but it is a Timbuk2 bag with a huge (pink ) reflective panel. It's so over-the-top obnoxious that I always take it out when I'm riding at night, even if I don't need to carry anything. It's amazingly waterproof. Those are benefits, but of course you can get that in a good backpack. But I do like that the messenger bag is more cyclist-friendly in terms of visibility and keeping stuff dry on a commute.

I love the way my messenger bag fits. When I rode with the backpack my back, especially neck and shoulders, would get sore. Especially when riding home with my laptop. The strap on my messenger bag sits further out and I don't get nearly as sore with it.

Then, the sweaty back. My back still gets sweaty but not nearly as bad as with the backpack (where it was the whole back); with the messenger bag I can readjust my position slightly and get a nice cool breeze between me and the bag.

I agree with the comment on positioning, I wear my bag pretty high on my back while riding, much more comfortable/balanced that way.

Anne